Tag: road trip

In case you’ve missed the pictures from the thousands of tourists and travel photographers who’ve been there recently, Iceland’s pretty lit. This past March I went with eight other people, rented out two camper vans and made our way across the southern part of the island. And it was incredible.

I like to think I’m usually a pretty pulled together person, but this trip tore me apart in the most magnificent way possible. Nearly every day, we saw or experienced something so amazing all I could do was break down in tears. And I’m not a crier. Or at least, I didn’t use to be. But the combination of breathtaking sights, tiny ponies on the side of the road, and people beside me I loved absolutely ruined me.

We started out in Reykjavik and from there made it to Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Sólheimasandur, Dyrhólaey, the Black Sand Beach in Vik, Skaftafell, Jökulsárlón, Gljufrabui, Kerið, Gullfoss, Geysir, Þingvellir, and the Blue Lagoon to top it all off. And if those words mean absolutely nothing to you, either Google them or watch the video above. Trust me, it’s worth it.

In truth it did get pretty cold and wet and rainy, but that never stopped us from having the time of a lifetime. From family meals to cuddle puddles and drinking games in between all the hiking and exploring, the results were unanimous: Iceland by camper van is definitely the way to go. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments. And if you have any suggestions for Northern Iceland, speak now or forever hold your peace because God willing I’ll be back soon.

I don’t know about you, but I love Spotify. Pandora had its moment and iTunes can get the job done if you need it to, but the ability to build playlists with your friends and constantly discover new music trumps all. Nothing makes me happier than being in a great place, with great people, having great tunes to match.

So naturally, over the past few years my friends and I have compiled some pretty fire playlists as the soundtracks to our lives. And since this is Spotify, it’s only fair we share them with you so you too can benefit from the niche each one is made to fill. Listen and follow away, and if you too have some killer playlists by all means, please share them in the comments!

1. ICELAND
Iceland is the mother of all playlists. Made for a week long camper van trip across the southern coast, it’s nearly eleven and a half hours of fun jams you can drive (or walk or hike or bike) to, put together by none other than myself and the eight other beautiful people I went there with. Even people who didn’t go on the trip swear by it, so it can’t be all that bad.

2. The Calms 2.0The Calms 2.0 is designed to be the ultimate chill playlist. Just over eighteen hours long, this one’s for hanging out, rainy days, cleaning, studying, sleeping on planes, and even the most hungover mornings as we learned in Iceland. With more acoustic tendencies, you’ll see a lot of Ed Sheeran, Jack Johnson and Mumford and Sons, but also smaller artists you may have never even heard of. Either way, whether you need to focus and get stuff done or just relax The Calms is your new best friend.

3. Girl ClassicsExactly what you’d expect. All the best fire you up, girl power tunes your heart could desire. Equally beloved by girls and boys who have no problem embracing their silly side.

4. Aloha AugustAugust 1st, 2015 my roommate at the time Annabelle and I held and epic, Hawaiian-themed darty, complete with a kiddie pool, bubble machine and piñata full of nips. Needless to say, the playlist was equally as epic.

5. Dope SlopesDesigned for a President’s Day weekend ski trip to Killington, Vermont. Although I may have lost the ZipCar keys on the mountain and nearly got us stranded in subzero temperatures, at least the playlist was fire.

6. Happy Bday, USA!Made for this year’s 4th of July darty, it’s everything summer and America you could ever want. Beyond backyard drinking it’s also great for grilling, chilling, camping, beaching, driving and just generally appreciating America with a beer in your hand.

7. Just EmbarrassingHeavy on the Disney guilty pleasures. Kept hidden until just a few weeks ago when I was forced to make it public, I’ve been told it makes great music to walk to work to, work out to, and even pregame in the right company. And if you get really into it, rumor has it there’s still a Corbin Bleu dance tutorial to All for One on YouTube somewhere.

8. I’m Good With That 2.0Nearly a year and a half in the making, this is really just my personal playlist I keep adding to of songs I like and want to keep listening to. Some top hits, some others I just find and love, but all in all relatively safe to put on shuffle and walk, drive, or get stuff done to.

9. Sherene Doesn’t KnowA collaboratively made playlist of the exact songs which, if played on guitar to a girl, would get her to (insert dirty thoughts here) you. Half inside joke, half amazingly sentimental, full romance if executed properly.

10. GerardWhether they realize it or not, my friends have probably listened to some 4 or 5 song combination of this playlist at least twenty times drunk on a party bus. Affectionately known as Gerard, the driver would always lend his aux cord to me on our way to whatever bar we were headed that night and I did my best to never disappoint.

For those of you who don’t know, I just finished road tripping 3,134 miles from Boston to LA to start my new job in Napa Monday. It was exhausting and exhilarating and something I think everyone deserves to experience at least once in their life. This little snap shot is just a fraction of what we experienced out there.

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